Chips that work similar to the human brain under research
Professor Eshel Ben-Jacob and his team of Tel Aviv University’s Departments of Exact Sciences are working to develop chips that are based on the chemical simulation of man-made neurons. If the research turns out to be fruitful, then we soon can expect not only the treatments for various neurological disorders, but also a chip that works just like the human brain does. These researchers have been successful in triggering man-made network of neurons to imprint patterns -A technique by which the human brain creates memories.
Such chips might be the stepping stone towards the development of chips with the capability to create and store information the same way our brains do. These researchers have devised a unique way of linking the network of neurons to software which reads the neural activity. This team of a computer and the neural network can also do wonders in the field of artificial intelligence and enable computers do what they are currently incapable of.
These researchers have also stated that computers don’t have cognitive function since they are fixed and lack plasticity. However, the integration of man-made neural networks will make them more flexible and adaptable, just like the human brain. They have also stated that they don’t aim to replace the whole computer system with these networks, rather they are aiming to develop mechanisms that can aid the computers do softer cognitive functions of decision-making, interaction with the environment, and sound recognition.
Such systems will be able to do biological computing that might lead to technology that every software maker is aiming at – A system that can recognize handwriting. This technique looks simple on paper but requires the use of advanced algorithms that is something software giants have failed to offer. Humans and animals can easily distinguish between patterns. However, the same task can require the processing power of multiple computers and that too without a guarantee of a successful result. Biological systems can make such tasks easy for computers.
Researchers used neurons placed in a Petri dish that is studded with electrodes on its base. These neurons form a communicative network, and their activity generates pulses of voltage, which are recorded by the electrodes. These electrodes are further connected to a computer that monitors and records the resulting patterns.
Neurons are divided into two types – Excitatory Neurons, which promote neurological activity, and inhibitory neurons, which reduce this activity. Ben-Jacob states that most researchers have focused on simulating one or the other type according to their use. He also states that he along with his team came up with a different approach in which they suppressed the inhibitory neurons with an injection of the chemical picrotoxin. This chemical allowed the excitatory neurons to create new patterns. This gave the network the ability to generate new things during the limited time of stimulation.
Ben-Jacob hopes that in the near future we can hope to see such networks being used in various technologies, which require the use of artificial brain cells to imprint patterns. A long term research on the technique can result in the treatments for diseases like epilepsy. In such a treatment the brain activity of the patient would be fed to the network through a computer and the network would then communicate with the human brain in order to correct the ailment.
Via: Post Human Blues
